Nobel Peach Prize Laureate in Vancouver March 20th

abstract:Liu Xiaobo is a writer, literary critic, professor and most importantly, a public intellectual and human rights activist. Liu was imprisoned three times for political reasons prior to his most recent arrest in 2008, following which he was sentenced to eleven years' imprisonment due to his role in circulating the Charter 08 manifesto calling for multiparty constitutional government in China. Since the late 1980s, Liuís writings have been banned in China, and few young Chinese people have read them or even heard of him. In the West, Liu was equally obscure until the 2010 Nobel awards were announced. This January, Harvard University Press published a collection of Liuís critical essays and prison poetry from the last two decades, No Enemies, No Hatred: Selected Essays and Poems (with a foreword by Vaclav Havel), which gives English-language readers a chance to hear his courageous voice.

The purpose of this proposed reading is to share Liu Xiaobo's works with a broader audience, and to engage students at SFU and the local community by reading Liuís human rights literature in different languages. In between these readings, scholars and experts will give an introduction and commentary on the significance of Liuís activities and his writings.

When: Tuesday, March 20th, 2:00-4:00pmWhere: Room 1425, Simon Fraser University - Harbour Centre, 515 West Hastings Street, Vancouver, British Columbia Admission: FREE and open to the public. Seating is on a first-come, first-serve basis. Please show up a little early to avoid disappointment.

Event sponsors include Institute for Humanities, Department of Humanities, Asian Canada Program, the World Literature Program and David Lam Centre, all at SFU.
Below is the video of the Nobel Prize ceremony in which Liu Xiobo was awarded in absentia.